1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a biological signal detection apparatus and in particular to a biological signal detection apparatus applicable to a medical telemetry system wherein a biological signal detected by an electrode attached to the living tissue surface of a patient can be appropriately processed and the provided signal can be telemetered by a transmitter and can be received at a remotely located monitor for monitoring the disease condition of the patient, and a Holter electrocardiograph incorporating the biological signal detection apparatus.
Further, this invention relates to a communication system of detection data, etc., provided by detecting biological signals and in particular to a communication system for transmitting and receiving biological signals detected by a Holter electrocardiograph.
2. Related Art
To care for a seriously ill patient directly linked to his or her life as in an ICU (intensive care unit) or a CCU (coronary care unit), biological information needs to be continuously monitored to precisely keep track of the conditions of the patient. Thus, it is important to provide information necessary for treatment conducted at the bedside of the patient using a bedside monitor placed at the bedside of the patient. It is also important to find out an anomaly of the patient promptly and issue an alarm and send data provided from the biological information of the patient to a central monitor placed in a nurse station, a doctor room, etc.
From the viewpoint, hitherto, to collect necessary data and display the data on monitors placed on the periphery to provide biological information of a patient in moving the patient in emergency, at the bedside of the patient in a hospital, etc., a medical telemetry system of transmitting and receiving wireless signals has been used simply and efficiently to input signals detected by a biological signal detection apparatus made up of various sensor electrodes, etc., attached to the living tissue surfaces of the patient.
Hitherto, as a biological signal measuring apparatus of converting a biological signal of a patient, etc., into telemetry (cordless) and measuring, a biological signal measuring apparatus has been proposed (Japanese Utility Model Registration No.2558836), the biological signal measuring apparatus comprising a sensor section made up of three electrode parts for detecting a biological signal, a transmission section for transmitting the biological signal detected by each electrode part of the sensor section to an external reception section, and a power supply section for supplying power to the transmission section, wherein the transmission section has the power supply section integrally and can be directly attached and detached by being fitted to any one of the three electrode parts, wherein three contacts corresponding to signal lines from the three electrode parts form contacts made flush with each other, wherein the biological signals detected by the three electrode parts are input to the transmission section, and wherein the electrode parts are made disposable and the transmission section can be recycled.
That is, in the biological signal measuring apparatus according to the proposition, the transmission section containing the power supply section is made integral with any one of the three electrode parts and the biological signals detected by the electrode parts are input to the transmission section, whereby the constraint feeling of the patient is improved remarkably and no signal cable exists between the transmission section and the sensor section, thus extra connection points are excluded and therefore stable measuring can be conducted over a long time and the reliability is enhanced.
A Holter electrocardiograph apparatus that can improve the convenience of a communication interface with a computer for analyzing, storing, and arranging data by providing an already existing portable Holter electrocardiograph apparatus with an infrared communication apparatus for inputting electrocardiogram data to a computer in noncontact for storing and analyzing the data simply or by transmitting electrocardiogram data sampled from a patient and compressed to a remotely located computer for storing and analyzing the data using a public telemetry network applied to portable telephones, portable information terminals, etc., has been proposed (JP-A-9-224917).
That is, this Holter electrocardiograph apparatus according to the proposition is characterized by the fact that an already existing portable Holter electrocardiograph apparatus comprises an infrared communication apparatus as means for inputting highly compressed data stored in memory to an external machine, and the infrared communication apparatus comprises means for communicating according to a predetermined procedure for a computer and inputting monitored electrocardiogram data to the computer in noncontact at high speed. Further, the Holter electrocardiograph apparatus can be configured to use a public telemetry network applied to portable telephones and portable information terminals to transmit highly compressed electrocardiogram data to a remotely located computer for storing and analyzing the data.
A portable electrocardiogram monitor for monitoring a plurality of electrocardiogram signals led by the electrode attached to the chest of a patient by a monitor circuit carried by the patient and telemetering arrhythmia information detected in the electrocardiogram signals to an emergency medical institution for receiving rescue of diagnosis, instruction for the patient, first aid to be given to the patient, etc., by the expert (JP-A-10-234688).
That is, the portable electrocardiogram monitor according to the proposition comprises chest side circuitry attached to the chest of a patient and waist side circuitry attached to the waist of the patient. The chest side circuitry has addition means for adding electrocardiogram signals of a plurality of channels and intra-monitor transmission means for telemetering the added electrocardiogram signal provided by the addition means from the chest to the waist and the waist side circuitry has reception means for receiving the transmission signal of the intra-monitor transmission means, arrhythmia detection means for detecting severe arrhythmia that is unignorable in the added electrocardiogram signal received by the reception means, and external transmission means for telemetering information indicating occurrence of arrhythmia together with the identification signal of the patient to an emergency medical institution.
However, in the biological signal measuring apparatus according to the proposition, if the transmission section having the three electrode parts inputs the biological signal detected by each electrode part and transmits the signal to the outside and is applied as a Holter electrocardiograph, the method of the electrode positioning for providing electrocardiogram data, namely, the position leading electrode-to-electrode potential does not match the position of the electrode that can be led properly and efficiently as a Holter electrocardiograph, thus simple and prompt electrocardiogram data cannot be provided.
In the Holter electrocardiograph apparatus according to the proposition, an already existing portable Holter electrocardiograph apparatus is provided with an infrared communication apparatus, whereby electrocardiogram data is transmitted to a personal computer or a remotely located computer in non-contact for smoothly storing and analyzing the data and the existing portable Holter electrocardiograph apparatus itself is not improved or modified. Thus, for example, improvement or prevention means for occurrence of inconvenience or discomfort when the electrodes are attached to the patient or occurrence of a malfunction caused by detachment of the electrode is not considered at all. Further, the Holter electrocardiograph apparatus assumes only that the patient sends electrocardiogram data to a medical institution, and the patient must perform the operation of transmitting electrocardiogram data consciously; the operation is burdensome for the patient.
In the portable electrocardiogram monitor according to the proposition, the arrhythmia detection means is attached to the patient, severe arrhythmia that is unignorable is determined by hardware or software analysis means, and electrocardiogram information at the time is sent. Thus, the information is insufficient for the doctor to finally diagnose the conditions of the patient. If determination of the arrhythmia detection means attached to the patient is only made, when erroneous detection occurs, it is feared that a serial problem that may be developed to a lawsuit against the doctor (for example, electrocardiogram information is not transmitted although the patient is in an actually critical condition) may occur.
Further, in the apparatus according to the propositions, the fact that it is made possible to telemeter biological signals of a patient to a remotely located monitor is disclosed or suggested, but the configuration of a medical telemetry system for making it possible to smoothly and simply exchange information between the patient and the monitor is not specifically proposed at all. As a result of repeating research and trials assiduously, the inventor et al have found out that a communication system of detection data, etc., provided by detecting a biological signal, which can construct a medical telemetry system that can prevent detachment of an electrode from causing a malfunction to occur and can smoothly and simply exchange information between a patient and a monitor can be provided, the communication system adopting the configuration comprising a Holter electrocardiograph comprising a biological signal detection apparatus comprising a plurality of electrodes for detecting a biological signal, supports being attached to the living tissue surface of a patient for supporting the electrodes, and a transmitter for processing the signal detected by the electrode and telemetering the detected signal, a receiver for receiving the signal telemetered from the transmitter of the biological signal detection apparatus and demodulating the received signal, the receiver comprising a terminal for outputting the demodulated signal to a biological signal input section of required record means, and a recorder comprising record means for recording the demodulated signal output from the terminal of the receiver, wherein the recorder of the Holter electrocardiograph comprises transmitting and receiving means for telemetering the signal stored in the record means, receiving an external transmission signal, and telemetering some or all of the signals stored in the record means as instructed by the external transmission signal, and a biological signal input apparatus comprising transmitting and receiving means for inputting signals and transmitting and receiving communication information to and from the transmitting and receiving means of the recorder of the Holter electrocardiograph through a relay transmitter-receiver and a wide area network is provided.